CHESAPEAKE BAYHAWKS 2012 SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

Annapolis, MD. – The Chesapeake Bayhawks of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) announced their 2012 MLL schedule today. Chesapeake will travel to Long Island to take on their arch nemesis for the season opener on April 28th. The Bayhawks return for their fourth summer at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, MD with their home opener on Saturday, May 5th against league newcomer Ohio Machine. The 2011 MLL season will consist of 14 weeks as a result of the expansion this year.

The Bayhawks finished the 2011 campaign with a strong fought battle in hurricane conditions lost, but to the Boston Cannons in the first round of the playoffs. The game went down as one of the greatest playoff games in MLL history and the Cannons outlasted the Bayhawks in a back-and-forth thriller that wasn’t decided until the final second with a goal that put the Cannons over the Bayhawks 14-13.

“The team has great momentum from the end of last season to build off of for this summer,” owner and head coach Brendan Kelly stated. “We are very excited about this year and the potential our team has to be the best once again.”

To start the season, the Bayhawks travel to Long Island where they look to break an all-time series tie of 11-11 with the Lizards. Long Island swept the series last season, beating the Bayhawks twice. In all five championships that the Bayhawks and the Lizards have combined to win, the two rivals have faced each other each time with Chesapeake winning in 2002, 2005, and 2010 and Long Island winning in 2001 and 2003. The Lizards look to be a very different team this year and with Chesapeake’s newly acquired Brian Spallina, the Bayhawks will take advantage.

The home season kicks off on Saturday, May 5th when Chesapeake hosts the Ohio Machine travels for their first matchup in franchise history. The Bayhawks will face their former teammates, Kyle Hartzell and Brian Phipps, who were both acquired by the Machine this year. The home opener will be highlighted by an exciting tailgate celebration to commemorate Cinco de Mayo and a post-game fireworks display, as well as more exciting events to be announced.

On Saturday, May 12th, the Bayhawks will host the Rochester Rattlers for the first of two battles in the 2012 season. The Rattlers and the Bayhawks met three times last season with Chesapeake sweeping the series.

Following the two game home stretch, the Bayhawks begin a two week road trip which begins in Hamilton, ON on Friday, May 18th. The Bayhawks second road game will pit the 2009 and 2010 MLL champions in a head-to-head bout. The Bayhawks took two of the three contests from the Nationals in 2011 including a home opener victory.

After a league-wide bye week during Memorial Day Weekend, the Bayhawks will travel to Denver on Saturday, June 2nd at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Bayhawks are 2-6 all-time against the Outlaws but will look to improve on that in their first matchup of the season.

Following the road trip, the Bayhawks will begin a three week stint at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, hosting the newly added Charlotte Hounds on Saturday, June 9th for the teams’ first matchup in franchise history. Former Bayhawks Brian Carroll, Jake Deane, Ryan Hurley, and Justin Smith were all acquired by the Hounds in the MLL Expansion Draft. Following the Hounds, Chesapeake will battle Hamilton for the second time on Saturday, June 16th.

Chesapeake will host the 2011 Champion Boston Cannons on Saturday, June 23rd pitting the two defending champions against each other. Chesapeake has played more games versus Boston than any team in MLL history: 29 total matches including playoffs. The Bayhawks and the Cannons are the two winningest teams in MLL regular season history with 74 and 77 wins respectively. The Bayhawks trail 11-13 to the Cannons in regular season games yet in the playoffs, the Bayhawks lead 3-2.

All teams in the MLL will have a bye week the last weekend in June due to the MLL All-Star Game which will be held in Boston at Harvard Stadium on Saturday, June 30th at 7:30 PM. The 2011 game drew a crowd of more than 11,186 fans, and this year’s game will include the Bud Light Skills Competition at halftime again.

After the MLL All-Star game, Chesapeake begins an arduous month-long July road trip beginning in Charlotte, NC as they take on the Hounds for the second time on Saturday, July 7th. The Bayhawks then travel to Rochester on Saturday, July 14th to complete the regular season series versus the Rattlers. On Saturday, July 21st, the Bayhawks head to Ohio for the first time in franchise history to battle the Machine in their hometown. Chesapeake concludes their road trip in Boston when the Bayhawks and Cannons square off for the final time on Saturday, July 28th.

The Bayhawks return to Annapolis for the final pair of home matches with the Lizards and Outlaws. The Bayhawks will host Long Island on Saturday, August 4th before concluding the regular season at home on Saturday, August 11th against the Denver Outlaws.

The 2012 MLL Championship Weekend on August 25th and 26th location is still to be determined. The Bayhawks will look to qualify for their third consecutive postseason berth after a four year absence from Championship Weekend.

“Our 2012 schedule is very exciting and we are extremely happy with our seven home games,” general manager Brian Reese stated. “Our fans will have the chance to see each MLL team play in Annapolis, including the new teams in the MLL, Charlotte and Ohio. We are going to have seven great events and are looking forward to the challenge of bringing the MLL Championship trophy back to Annapolis.”

Throughout the summer the Bayhawks will be hosting a variety of promotional events in coordination with their home games. In 2011, the Bayhawks hosted a Breast Cancer Awareness Night and a Military Appreciation Night. Both nights raised over $10,000 total for Save the Coconuts and Wounded Warrior Project. In 2012, the Bayhawks will continue to support local charity organizations through their promotional nights and more details will be released as the schedule of events for 2012 is set.

Bayhawks 2012 season tickets and Hawks Holiday Packs can be purchased online at www.thebayhawks.comor over the phone by calling the box office 866-99-HAWKS (42957). Reserve your seat today and don’t miss out on seeing the Chesapeake Bayhawks battle at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium this summer.